World Population
Dynamics The fifteenth-century is a time when equality for different species and pelt colors has come into being in most First World kingdoms, but is still plagued by long-standing discrimination rooted in tradition, education, socioeconomic status, and religion. Fontis itself is not a utopia; although it comes close as the happiest kingdom in the world, prejudice still exists there, however subtle it may be. Religion There's a large divide between animalkind who believe in evolution and those who believe in religion because many believe the two concepts cannot coexist. Religions mirror our own; animalkind dug up well-preserved books and scriptures from the Age of Humans and some follow those as their personal beliefs and have built doctrine around them; however, with a language barrier since Human languages have long been dead and gone, details have been lost in the translations and illustrations. Many of the pages no longer have color, so there is great quarrel for example, in Christian denominations over details like whether Jesus was a naturally colored lion or a white one. Scientists point to traces of evidence that humans modified animals for personal use, and only after a worldwide catastrophe that wiped out the humans and millions of years did animalkind flourish into the sapient creatures they are today. Most religious animalkind believe the world population must have come into existence from origins much higher than some dead species' plaything. The largest point of contest has been the alarming number of artifacts recovered from the Age of Humans that all illustrate a social order for the animals: it seems regardless of dead language or location the artifact was uncovered, all species are grouped into categories. Domestics are to be revered; wild creatures are conflictingly portrayed as worshiped, locked away, or stripped for distinguishing body parts; farm animals are to be put to work or eaten... These are consistent with depictions of animals in religious works. And thus, religious groups preach this social order, teachers try to deconstruct it in their history and anthropology lessons, the social statuses are subconsciously and consciously enforced, and discontent is set into motion. Pelt Color There's no end to variety in fur, feather, skin, or scale color. The world population can range from natural animal colors to wild technicolors. Pelts can also have qualities such as iridescence or bioluminescence. Certain symbols and colors can hold positive or negative meaning depending on the area one is living in; for example, Nyxis's rose wings are considered good luck in Fontis because they bear semblance to the national flower. Some colors can be rarer than others in various species as well as regions since colors and designer patterns are passed from parent to child. One overall consistent stereotype that comes with pelt color is that albino animals are suited to be rulers or high society. Although uncommon because albinism is a recessive trait, albinos have been credited with many groundbreaking inventions throughout history, and albino mammals (especially mice, rats, chimpanzees, cabbits, rabbits, cats, and dogs) have a larger number of higher IQ percentages compared to other groups. Diet Most animalkind have the capability to be omnivorous, with digestive tracts that can handle both plant material and meat due to both sources of food being available throughout civilization. There are still species differences in digestive tracts, which may lead to preferences of food that can be digested easier by that species. Culture and society may also affect food choice: Yonde's population of entirely herbivores have always subsisted on exclusively plant material, and thus view those who have a taste for meat as below them. Interspecies Relationships Interspecies couples are relatively accepted and common in most First-World kingdoms. Many species crosses are incompatible, yielding either no children or infertile offspring. Such couples opt for adoption or surrogate mothers if they want a child. Every once in a while, nature does surprise with a hybrid who can reproduce. However, the hybrid's ability to have viable offspring is usually limited to being able to do so with the species of either parent, and the traits of the odd species out are lost with each generation. Unusual Species Cabbits are so common, they are their own species and have always been considered so by the inhabitants of the world. It's rare for a cabbit to be able to conceive with other species, a fact that keeps most of them in higher standing since they are domestics.